Accessible communications
Government information should be as accessible and inclusive as possible. Something can be accessible to some people, like a video or a tweet, while being inaccessible to others.
For your accessibility questions, get involved with the accessibility community.
On this page:
Creating accessible and inclusive communications
Accessibility requirements for public sector bodies
Public sector websites published before 23 September 2018 must be compliant by 23 September 2020. Read and use the guidance on GOV.UK:
Create accessible social media campaigns
At least 1 in 5 people have a long-term illness, disability or impairment that affects how they access or understand information.
In our guide, we explore the quick and simple ways you can improve the accessibility of social media campaigns – from planning through to publishing – to make them more effective and help you reach more of the people you need to.
Use inclusive communication
How to produce communications that include, accurately portray, and are accessible to disabled people:
- inclusive language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability
- portraying disability
- using a range of communication channels to reach disabled people
- accessible communication formats
Five principles to make your campaigns more inclusive
Inclusive communication from the Office for Disability Issues and Department for Work and Pensions (GOV.UK)
Learning and training
Learning about accessibility is a journey, not a project. Assistive technology is always evolving and communicators need to stay up to date with these developments so they can focus on the user needs.
Accessibility community
To ask questions about accessibility, develop your knowledge, and get or give advice and support, join the accessibility community.
For anyone interested in learning about the topic
Start with our on-demand webinars with the GCS Academy include:
- Digital accessibility: best practice essentials (12 minutes)
- Digital accessibility for government communicators (44 minutes)
You can:
- read about accessibility with our GCS diversity and inclusion blog posts
- read the Accessibility in government blog
- the regulation campaign site: Making online public services accessible
- do the Edx free training, self-paced: W3C – Introduction to web accessibility
- join one or more Civil Service networks
- watch GDS/BBC Webinar: Accessibility Culture eats WCAG compliance for breakfast
For website owners
- Doing a basic accessibility check if you cannot do a detailed one
- Set up a website for government campaigns
- Sample accessibility statement
- watch GDS Global Accessibility Awareness Day video series to help you learn about the creation of accessibility statements and how to conduct accessibility checks
For your content creation
- Colour contract checker to achieve an AA or AAA colour rating (the minimum ratio is 4.5:1)
- WebAIM contrast checker
- A series of interviews with people with access needs: Accessibility and me (accessibility blog)
Resources
- Strategies, standards, resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W3)
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 covers a wide range of recommendations for making web content more accessible: WCAG 2.1: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
- On 5 April 2011, the public sector equality duty (the equality duty) came into force. The equality duty was created under the Equality Act 2010. Read the Equality Human Rights website: Public Sector Equality Act
- Information and guidance on the Equality Act 2010, including age discrimination and public sector Equality Duty. Equality Act 2010: guidance on GOV.UK
- Office for National Statistics web accessibility includes information about diagrams accessibility